Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nelson and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,718 a month against $1,833 in Nelson, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
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Nelson Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,833

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nelson and in Honiara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nelson and in Honiara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,833 per month in Nelson vs $1,718 in Honiara, rent included.

Nelson $1,833
Honiara $1,718

A couple spends around $2,842 per month in Nelson vs $2,833 in Honiara, rent included.

Nelson $2,842
Honiara $2,833

A family of three spends $3,852 per month in Nelson vs $3,948 in Honiara, rent included.

Nelson $3,852
Honiara $3,948

Nelson costs about 7% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Nelson and Honiara sit above the global median – Nelson by 36%, Honiara by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.86 NZ$24.51

$6.94 SBD 56.0

99.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 NZ$114

$62.3 SBD 502

3.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.53 NZ$15.08

$12.56 SBD 101

-32.09%

Cappuccino

$3.24 NZ$5.74

$3.49 SBD 28.17

-7.16%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$1.58 SBD 12.75

8.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 NZ$2.91

$1.10 SBD 8.90

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 NZ$12.61

$2.55 SBD 20.59

179.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 NZ$9.79

$5.70 SBD 45.93

-2.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 NZ$3.36

$2.48 SBD 20.01

-23.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 NZ$3.63

$1.54 SBD 12.42

33.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$1.65 SBD 13.29

10.91%

Eggs

$5.70 NZ$10.08

$5.51 SBD 44.40

3.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 NZ$16.08

$6.43 SBD 51.8

41.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.34 NZ$12.98

$8.58 SBD 69.2

-14.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.70 NZ$24.22

$15.40 SBD 124

-11.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.45

$6.38 SBD 51.4

-51.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 NZ$3.88

$2.59 SBD 20.89

-15.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.41

$8.44 SBD 68.1

-63.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.61 NZ$9.92

$3.66 SBD 29.48

53.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 NZ$3.63

$1.94 SBD 15.60

5.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 NZ$2.27

$3.41 SBD 27.53

-62.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 NZ$3.48

$1.45 SBD 11.72

35.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 NZ$1.79

$1.07 SBD 8.62

-5.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.79 NZ$43.85

$4.18 SBD 33.67

493.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.44 NZ$16.69

$10.70 SBD 86.3

-11.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 NZ$5.41

$1.78 SBD 14.36

71.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 NZ$4.86

$3.35 SBD 26.98

-17.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 NZ$3.92

$0.38 SBD 3.09

484.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 NZ$3.21

$1.20 SBD 9.70

51.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$1.21 SBD 9.79

47.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.41 NZ$59.1

$12.41 SBD 100

169.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 NZ$2.85

$1.30 SBD 10.50

23.85%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$17.1K NZ$30.2K

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

-9.24%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.9K NZ$38.7K

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

-36.89%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$131 NZ$231

$427 SBD 3,440

-69.41%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.95 NZ$58.3

$27.52 SBD 222

19.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.79 NZ$73.9

$88.8 SBD 716

-52.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.3 NZ$176

$37.21 SBD 300

166.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.61 NZ$59.4

$9.24 SBD 74.5

263.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 NZ$19.48

$4.25 SBD 34.29

159.06%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$440 NZ$777

$98.2 SBD 792

347.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K NZ$22.4K

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

338.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 NZ$92.6

$27.02 SBD 218

93.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.78 NZ$49.13

$93.7 SBD 756

-70.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 NZ$179

$95.3 SBD 768

6.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 NZ$245

$104 SBD 834

33.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 NZ$1,769

$901 SBD 7,263

11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$795 NZ$1,406

$436 SBD 3,518

82.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 NZ$3,014

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

-8.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,456 NZ$2,574

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

2.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,374 NZ$2,430

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

-98.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$827 NZ$1,462

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

-98.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,017 NZ$3,568

$443 SBD 3,574

355.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

15.67

-65.60%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nelson: October 12, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Nelson

$795 43.4%

Honiara

$436 25.4% 45.1% $358

Groceries & Markets

Nelson

$312 17%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 10.6% $33

Eating Out

Nelson

$236 12.9%

Honiara

$170 9.9% 27.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nelson

$205 11.2%

Honiara

$543 31.6% 165% $338

Clothing & Footwear

Nelson

$144 7.9%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nelson

$121 6.6%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 62.3% $76

Getting Around

Nelson

$20 * 1.1%

Honiara

$34 2% 72.2% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,000 in Nelson versus $901 in Honiara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 355% higher in Nelson, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Nelson versus $62.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $312 in Nelson vs $345 in Honiara – so Nelson wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Nelson

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

2 h behind Nelson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,100

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nelson Honiara 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nelson
Honiara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nelson vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,833 in Nelson, $1,718 in Honiara – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,749 per month in Nelson and $2,577 in Honiara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Honiara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Nelson and $62.0 in Honiara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Nelson – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Honiara, where all-in costs run around $1,718, than in Nelson at $1,833. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nelson it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Honiara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Honiara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nelson makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.